Lancaster, California

STEP UP YOUR MARKETING

Sign up to receive marketing tips and promotions!

Lancaster Business Signs

Lancaster, California is located within Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley, which is itself part of the Mojave Desert. This area was inhabited by the Paiute peoples prior to American settlement. The city began as a settlement around the Southern Pacific Railroad. It is unclear where exactly the name Lancaster originated for this settlement – it could have been the name of a railroad station clerk or a nickname of the area or perhaps even the former home of unknown settlers from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In any case, Moses Langley Wicks formally developed Lancaster, California after he bought a large swathe of the area in 1884. Lancaster, California would not be officially incorporated until November 22nd, 1977.

Modern day Lancaster, California has a population of 159,523 people, according to a 2013 estimate by the US Census Bureau. This makes it the 5th most populous city in Los Angeles County and the 31st most populous city in the entire state of California. Lancaster is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area. The Greater Los Angeles Area, according to a 2014 estimate, has a population of 18,550,288 people, which makes it the second largest metropolitan area in the country, following the New York metropolitan area. The Greater Los Angeles Area is one of the largest urban agglomerations in the world.

Lancaster, California is home to several campuses devoted to higher learning. These include University of Antelope Valley, Antelope Valley College and a satellite campus of California State University, Bakersfield. Antelope Valley College is the eldest of these institutions – founded in 1929.

As for the University of Antelope Valley, UAV is a private-for-profit university, which offers associates, bachelors, and graduate degrees. UAV has 1,146 students and was founded in 1997 as Antelope Valley Medical College.

The city is also home to the Lancaster University Center. This center “provides local students with a chance to receive a first-rate education in engineering and technology.”

Elsewhere in the city of Lancaster, California, there is a building known as The Western Hotel. The Western Hotel was built in 1886 and is considered the oldest standing structure in the city. In 1992, the California Historic Site program converted The Western Hotel into a museum.

Interestingly – Lancaster, California – served as the headquarters for the “Flat Earth Society” from 1974 all the way to 2001. A more scientifically sound point of note in Lancaster is the Lancaster Aerospace Walk of Honor. The Lancaster Aerospace Walk of Honor, founded in 1990, “honors test pilots who have contributed to aviation and space research and development.” Among these pilots are many astronauts.

The Lancaster, California area serves as the site for Edwards Air Force Base. Edwards Air Force Base is part of Air Force Material Command and is the home of the Air Force Flight Test Center, operates the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, and NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center.

Lancaster, California is home to two professional sports teams. The Los Angeles Slam of the American Basketball Association formed in 2008. They relocated to Lancaster in 2011 and are now known as The Los Angeles Slam of Lancaster. Minor League Baseball’s California League Lancaster JetHawks play their home games at The Hangar. The JetHawks are a farm team for the Houston Astros. The JetHawks have won six league titles – two as the Lancaster JetHawks.

Do you own a small business in the Lancaster, California area? Are you by any chance thinking about it? These resources could prove beneficial to you: